Zoo Confidential: Dentist check-ups, a seal attacked by a shark and celebrities at Taronga Zoo

EVER wondered what goes on when the doors of Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo close? We give you a behind-the-scene look in our Zoo Confidential feature.

Naomi White

The Sunday TelegraphAugust 23, 201512:00am

Newman the short-beaked echidna, who was accidentally dug up by an excavator near Dubbo, has developed a shoe fetish where he'll dig is nose into people's shoes. Picture: Toby ZernaSource:News Corp Australia

EVER wondered what goes on when the doors of Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo close? We give you a behind-the-scene look in our Zoo Confidential feature.

HELLO NEWMAN

HE was the miracle echidna nursed back to health by senior keeper-come-surrogate mum, Sam Elton, after being rescued from his bulldozed burrow.

Now 10 months old, he’s fighting fit and a little mischievous, keeping his keepers on their toes … literally.

Newman is still too young to be sexed, but the keepers have an inkling he’s a male.

And just like the Seinfeld character he is named after, this little guy has many quirks.

One of the more unusual ones is a keen interest in shoes, and one of his favourite games is to climb up onto his keepers’ kicks.

“He quite likes to come up and sniff around our shoes thinking there could be ants in there, and he tries to pull at your shoelaces,” Ms Elton said.

Newman the echidna has recovered well from his injuries. Picture: Toby ZernaSource:News Corp Australia

It’s a tactic that’s obviously impressing the lady echidnas.

Newman has recently been hanging out at the zoo’s education centre with two echidna retirees, because the ladies in the main group took too much interest, stalking him around the enclosure.

“When we put him in with the other group, at first they were very excited and would follow him everywhere.”

“We’ve had new males before and the girls have taken an interest in them, but never as much as with Newman, he must have some super sense that we don’t realise.”

Newman will live at the centre and become an education animal before hopefully joining the zoo’s breeding program down the track.

SEAL RECOVERS AFTER SHARK ATTACK

TARONGA is celebrating the successful release of a rescued fur seal whose life was saved by their quick thinking vets.

The NZ fur seal arrived at the zoo early last month after coming off second best in a scuffle with a cookiecutter shark.

The fur seal was brought to Taronga Zoo for treatment after being attacked by a shark, before being released back into waters near Sydney heads.Source:Supplied

The seal, aged about 18 months, was discovered stranded between rocks off Malabar, suffering several bite wounds.

Senior veterinarian Larry Vogelnest said while the juvenile seal arrived in a bad way, he’d been confident she would recover.

His handwork was rewarded when she was released recently into waters near the Sydney heads.

“It’s certainly one of the best parts of this job when dealing with wildlife. To treat them and rehabilitate them and release them back into the wild. And it certainly was with her, it was great to see her go,” Dr Vogelnest said.

IT wasn’t just humans that comedian Amy Schumer was cracking up on her recent Australian trip.

In Sydney to promote her film Trainwreck with co-star Bill Hader, the wisecrack charmed the koalas, and made an instant celebrity of one when she posted their meeting to her one million plus Instagram followers.

Eva Longoria gets a kiss from a koala.Source:Supplied

Comedian Amy Schumer up close with a koala.Source:Instagram

She wasn’t the only A-listed to stop by. Eva Longoria wasted no time meeting one of the zoo’s star attractions, Peggy the kangaroo.

The pint sized actress also took to social media to share the experience, saying “Couldn’t come to #Sydney without giving Peggy a kiss!”

But while the dentist can be unpleasant for us humans, these creatures were none the wiser, having been lulled to sleep with a general anaesthetic to ensure the appointment went smoothly … for both patient and vet.

Animals in the wild can be left in great pain from dental issues, so the zoo make sure to give them a check-up every twelve months to keep them in top health free from any complications such as tooth infections.

ZOO’S HUMAN NIGHT OWL

ONE might be an owl and the other a human, but that hasn’t stopped these two becoming best mates.

Gus, a rufous owl, has developed a bit of a thing for her keeper Paul Davies.

After retiring from her showbiz life as a star attraction of Taronga’s bird shows, Gus has been enjoying the quiet life in the zoo’s Nocturnal house, which is where she met, and fell head over feathers for Paul.

The pair became instant pals, and Gus squawks a hello and spreads her wings out when he stops by the enclosure to greet her each morning.

“She’s just gorgeous and I never thought I’d have this relationship with this wretched big bird,” Mr Davies said.

“She seems to like everybody, but I think she goes the extra mile with me. She’s always so pleased to see me and her wings go out and she’s lovely.”

He’s not Gus’s only friend, though, as she shares her enclosure with five echidnas that she treats as her own pets and spends much of her day preening.

It’s all I ever wanted to be as a kid. I just loved exotic animals. I grew up in the UK so it wasn’t the local animals like hedgehogs and badgers I loved, it was the zoo animals.

Where have you worked and with what animals?

I have been zookeeping since I was 17. I started at the Edinburgh zoo, then London and I emigrated to Australia in 1981 and started at Taronga in 1982. I’ve spent half my time at Taronga working with primates and the other half working in the nocturnal house.

Best experience?

The most recent one was the visit of by Duke and Dutches of Cambridge, and baby George. They met a bilby and that was very special. We showcased the Bilby like no one could, the whole world got to see what a Bilby is.

We conditioned (bilby) George for three months to meet baby George, and they loved him.

What goes on behind the scenes that the public don’t get to see?

People think behind the scenes is high tech, but it’s not, it’s all very basic. There are a few spiders and insects though.

What’s in like working in the dark all day?

I do need to take a lot more vitamin D in the winter months, it’s just a bit too much darkness.

But it’s safe in there, we all know the animals well and we’ve had some amazing breeding successes.